She followed him down the hallway, but when they went past Dr. Shore’s office, she began to feel alarmed.
“Where are we going?” she asked as her steps slowed.
“Just follow me, miss,” he said.
She hesitated, but the man gripped her arm firmly. She tried to pull away, but then he placed his finger on his lips to shush her.
“Don’t make a scene if you want to get out of here,” he whispered.
“Get out of here?” she asked, confused.
He nodded and urged her to continue following him down the hallway. They turned a corner, and he opened the door to a room she had not been in before. When she looked inside, her heart swelled.
Auberon was there.
She had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. All the anger, the fear, the resentment she felt melted away when she saw him. She ran to him and jumped into his arms. He held her tightly and kissed her neck, her cheek, her lips.
“You’re here!” she cried through happy tears. “You’re really here.”
“Yes,” he said. “But we must leave now, before we are caught. Come with me.” He started to pull her toward another door, but she held back.
“Wait,” she said. “Just like that, after what you and my aunt put me through, you think I am going to go with you?”
“I will explain everything on the way,” he said. “But we must leave this place now if you want to escape.”
“Escape?” she asked, alarmed. “You mean I’m not being released?”
“Of course not,” he said. “I tried everything to get Bellamira to sign the release papers, but she refused. I paid a handsome bribe to that man to let me in here. But we must go now, before anyone realizes you are gone.”
“But…you abandoned me,” she said. “You betrayed me. Why would I trust you now?”
“I didn’t…” he tried to explain, but seemed unable to find the right words. “I acted poorly. I didn’t mean to betray you. I never stopped loving you. But I had a…a duty to Bellamira. I didn’t want to betray her either. But she has acted so badly toward you, I realized I had to make a choice. And I chose you, Isoline. For now and always, I will forever choose you.”
She felt her defenses melt away at his words. She didn’t know what would happen, but she believed his words to be genuine. And going with him was surely better than staying here.
“But my friends,” she said. “I need to say goodbye.”
“There is no time,” he said. “If you go back in there, they will know something is going on. We must leave.”
She felt torn. She knew that she needed to take this chance to escape, but she felt guilty simply walking away from Catherine, Sabine, and the others.
“I must ask you something,” Isoline said. “Are you…wealthy?”
He took a step back as though she had slapped him. “I thought you didn’t care about money,” he said.
“I don’t,” she said. “It’s not for me. But the women here, they are suffering. If I leave them, if I go with you, would you give me money to help them?”
He sighed in relief and then laughed. He turned to her and took her face in his hands. “Even now, when your own life in on the line, you would risk your own safety for someone else?”
“I would not have survived in here without them,” Isoline said. “Their friendship sustained me when I thought all else was lost.”
He kissed her forehead. “I am not as wealthy as Bellamira, but you will never want for anything,” he said. “And I will do what I can to help your friends after you are safe.”
Isoline realized she could ask no more of him in the moment than that. She had to escape this place. She could not help herself or her friends from within these walls.
“Let’s go,” she said.
He handed her a hooded cape and led her out a side door where a carriage was waiting. She was surprised to see James there, holding the door open for her.
“James?” was all she could manage to get out, she was so happy to see him.
“I hope one day you can forgive me, Miss Isoline,” he said.
She squeezed his arm as tears formed in her eyes. “Already done,” she said. He gave her a small bow as he closed the door after she and Auberon were inside. As the horses lurched the carriage forward, she let out a breath of relief she thought she must have been holding since the day she arrived at this cursed place.
She looked at Auberon, and she could see a hunger in his eyes. She felt a desire flutter in her belly. She leaned over and kissed him.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nearly growled with need as he held her face tightly and devoured her mouth with his. As they kissed, she realized that he truly was the man of her dreams. He was the man she had shared the night of passion with. The man who had bitten her neck…
“Who are you?” she whispered in his ear as he held her close.
He sighed, as though he had not wanted to have this conversation now but knew he could put it off no longer. He looked her deep in the eyes.
“I am a vampire,” he said.
She gasped and pulled away from him. “What?” she asked. “How can that be true?” She had read about vampires in books, but never imagined they could be real.
Auberon opened his mouth and she watched as two of his teeth descended into fangs. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, not from fear, but from excitement. From the realization of the truth.
“So you were the one who sent love letters to Bellamira when she was a young woman?” she asked. “When she was first married.”
“I had nearly forgotten about those,” he said. “I didn’t realize she kept them. I thought she would have destroyed them to keep her husband from finding them.”
“And you painted the portrait of her, when she was my age?”
He nodded. “I did.”
“And you signed the rental agreements.”
He nodded again.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“I was born in the old country in 1648,” he said. That was over two hundred years ago.
“You mean Romania?” she asked, even though she knew it was a stupid question but wasn’t sure what else to say.
He shrugged. “It has had many names since then.”
“So that is how you came to me in my dreams, because you are a vampire?” she asked.
“I have many powers,” he said. “Being able to walk in someone else’s dreams is one of them, but it is not my strongest asset.”
“Do you…drink blood?” she was almost afraid to ask.
“Yes,” he admitted, and her heart stilled. She reached up as though to protect her neck, and he laughed. “I will not bite you if you do not wish it.”
“Don’t you need blood to survive?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “But I have many willing hosts.” He waved his hand toward the front of the carriage, and she knew he was referencing James and the groom.
“They let you feed from them?” she prodded further for clarification. She did not want to leave any stone unturned.
“Yes,” he said. “They are rewarded with eternal youth for as long as they want it. The vampire’s embrace is a gift. James is nearly seventy years old. Bess is over forty.”
Isoline laughed. She knew Bess was older than she looked!
“Aunt Bellamira!” she said. “That is why she looked so young when I arrived.”
He nodded, but did not respond at first. He looked pained. “Bellamira was…a special case.”
“Because you love her,” Isoline said.
“Because I did love her,” he said. “I drank her blood and she drank mine. It was supposed to symbolize our eternal bond. But she was worried about the state of her immortal soul. She ended things with me many years ago. She said she wanted to die a natural death and meet God with a pure soul.”
“So that is why she was aging?” Isoline asked. “She stopped letting you feed from her?”
“Yes,” he said. �
��She broke my heart. I thought we would be together until the end of the world. But I would not let her die alone. I told her I would stay by her side until she died. But then I saw your picture. You looked so much like her when she was young. I couldn’t help but fall in love with you. Bellamira found out, and she encouraged me to reach out to you. That was why I started coming to you in your dreams. When your father’s letter arrived seeking a placement for you, we both agreed it was fate. That you and I were meant to be together. Bellamira knew she would die, but she wanted me to be happy after she was gone.”
“So what happened?” Isoline asked. “Why did she turn on me? On us? Why did she send me to that dreadful place?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “She refuses to speak to me other than to say she wants everything to go back to the way it was. But I cannot take her back. I do not want to be with her anymore. I love you, Isoline!”
“But you loved her too,” Isoline said. “How can I believe you don’t love her anymore?”
“Have you ever had to watch someone you love grow old and die?” he asked her. She was not sure how to respond to that. She had not watched someone grow old, but she had watched her mother wither away, slowly and painfully.
“Not exactly,” she said softly. “But I can understand some of what you say.”
“Bellamira broke my heart,” he said. “But more than that, she has spent the last twenty years torturing me, making me watch as she slowly dies and will not let me do anything to save her. The pain she has caused me, it is something that I cannot forgive. The woman I loved has already died. There is only a cruel, heartless woman in her place.”
Isoline reached over and squeezed Auberon’s hand. “I am sorry for your loss,” she said.
He leaned over and kissed her again. He groped at her body, urging her onto his lap.
“But now, we can run away together,” he whispered in her ear. “Just you and me. We will be happy and safe.”
“But we don’t know why she turned on us,” Isoline said, pulling away. “We should try to find out, try to mend things between us. She is still my family.”
“She will be angry when she sees you again,” he said. “You should not return to Thornrush Manor.”
“But what of Bess and the other servants?” she asked. “If you are not there, they will grow old and die.”
He did not reply.
“You cannot abandon them after decades of loyalty,” she pressed.
He hesitated, but then he banged on the side of the carriage. “Take us back to Thornrush,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir,” James called back.
“We are going to regret this,” Auberon said.
Isoline pulled up her skirt and straddled his lap. He moaned as she nestled herself over his bulging manhood.
“You will never regret doing the right thing,” she said.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked her as he reached between her thighs and found his way through her layers of clothing to stroke her opening. “Here, in a carriage, without being married?”
She undid his belt and unbuttoned his pants. “I have waited so many years for this,” she said. “Dreamed of you. Fantasized about you. Longed for you.”
She kissed him and pressed her body against his. She felt his naked flesh searching for hers and her whole body shuddered.
“I want you to take me,” she said. “And then I want you to bite me. I want you to make me yours.”
“As you command,” he said as he pushed her to the floor of the carriage and ripped open her undergarments while leaving her dress unmarred. He thrust into her, and she could not suppress her moans of ecstasy. As he filled her, there was some pain, yes, but it paled in comparison to the pure joy of having this man she had wanted, needed for so many years was finally fulfilling her every wish. Her every desire. Her every dream. She wrapped her legs around him, willing him deeper. Harder. Faster.
When they reached their pinnacle of pleasure, he roared and his fangs descended. He leaned over her and bit into her neck, and she screamed in pain and fright, but then she melted into him and held him tightly to her as she achieved her pleasure again and again.
Finally, after they were both satisfied, she curled up in his arms and let him hold her. York was hours away from Thornrush Manor, so they did not need to hurry and make themselves presentable again, though her face did blush at what James and the groom might have heard.
She felt so safe and warm in his arms, feelings she had not felt since Dr. Shore had dragged her away many days before. She was about to drift off when the carriage hit a large rock and jolted. She gasped and remembered the horrid accident she had been in on this very road many months ago when she first went to Thornrush Manor.
“Auberon?” she asked.
“Hmm?” he asked, as though he too had been near to sleep.
“Did you save my life?” she asked. “Was it you who saved me from the fire when my carriage crashed?”
He squeezed her tightly. “I would never let any harm come to you, dragă mea,” he said.
“Dragă mea,” she repeated. “What does that mean?”
“My love,” he said.
She sighed and nestled into his chest. “I love you, too,” she said.
Chapter Twenty
Had she really just made love to a vampire? Isoline shook her head in disbelief, and yet she knew it was true. She had seen his fangs. He had been calling to her in her dreams for years. She had seen the evidence in his signature and paintings. She could not deny the evidence she had seen with her own eyes.
Yet it was still hard for her to accept.
How would she ever explain such a thing to outsiders? To her family? No one would ever believe her. If they didn’t really think she was crazy before, they would now. Besides, she knew they would have to keep this part of him a secret. No one could ever know that vampires were real, and that one was living on Thornrush Estate. People would think he was some sort of evil monster and try to hunt him down. They would be driven away. While she still did not know all the details of what it meant to be a vampire, she knew he was not a monster. She would do anything to protect him, even if that meant keeping his secret for the rest of her life.
But how long would her life be? Bellamira had remained young looking for decades and only started to age when she stopped allowing Auberon to feed from her. Would Isoline now have a preternaturally long life since Auberon was now feeding from her? She would have to ask him later. But for now, neither of them was speaking.
They had made themselves presentable as they neared Thornrush Manor and were anxiously looking out the carriage windows, watching the dark world pass by, wondering just how the conversation with Bellamira would go. Neither of them imagined the old woman would be accepting of Isoline and Auberon’s love for each other. Even though returning to Thornrush had been Isoline’s idea, she had no idea what outcome she was hoping for other than some sort of peace with her aunt. She had been devastated when Bellamira had sent her to the asylum. Somehow, she needed to find a way to forgive her aunt for that. She didn’t think she could live peacefully without at least trying.
As the pulled up to Thornrush Manor, the house was dark. It was not yet dawn, so it made sense that everyone would still be sleeping. But still, the silence was unnerving.
“Stay here, James,” Isoline told the footman. “In case we need to leave quickly.”
“Yes, miss,” he said.
Auberon reached for Isoline’s hand, but she refused it. “I don’t want to anger her further,” she explained. “I’m here to make amends. It might be best if I go inside alone.”
He bristled at that. “I will let you take the lead,” he said. “But I’ll not let you go in alone. When I left her to fetch you, she was furious. There’s no telling what she might do when she sees you.”
At first, Isoline wanted to laugh. What could her ninety-year-old aunt do to her? But then she remembered the rough way her aunt dragged her to her room and the
surprising strength the woman had after she caught her reading the love letters.
“Does feeding from someone also give them supernatural powers?” she asked.
“No,” he said. “But from drinking my blood, she does have some gifts. She could never be as strong as me without becoming a vampire, but she does have speed, strength, and stealth beyond normal humans.”
That explained why her aunt seemed to move so silently around the house.
“What about me?” she asked. “Since you fed from me, will I be stronger than before?”
He chuckled and tapped her nose. “Not yet. You would have to drink my blood. But it would take time for such effects to manifest.”
She nodded, knowing that she would need to be cautious. If her aunt became enraged, who knew what she might be capable of.
As she opened the door, she was horrified by what she saw.
At the bottom of the grand staircase, Bess was lying in a pool of her own blood. Isoline gasped and ran to her maid’s side.
Bess groaned. “My…my lady…” she whispered.
“Shh,” Isoline cooed. “Don’t try to speak.” She saw what looked like a slash from a knife across her chest. She looked up at Auberon with tears in her eyes. “Help her!” she commanded.
His eyes were wild as he looked around the large foyer, checking for any perceived threat.
“We need to leave this place, Isoline,” he said harshly.
“I’ll not leave Bess!” she yelled, not caring if her aunt heard her. “She risked everything to bring you to me. I’ll not abandon her now!”
Auberon grunted in annoyance but kneeled by Bess’s side. He bit into his wrist and then dribbled his blood into her mouth, which she drank eagerly.
“What are you doing?” Isoline asked.
“The blood also has healing powers,” he said. “If she is not too far gone, she will recover.”
“And if she is…too far gone?” Isoline asked, her eyes wide.
Auberon did not reply, and Isoline did not press him. She would deal with the consequences later. For now, she was satisfied that Bess would be safe.
Dangerous Passions Page 19
